3-Day Trek
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View looking toward Burmese border. Many refugees from Burma have crossed the Thai border and settled in hilltribe villages.
Locals hanging out at the bus stop
Lunch on day one of trek. (l to r) Jen, Roger, Monica, Marcello, and our trusty guide, Prasert
Ghe (one of our guides) in the kitchen at Lisu village
Monica showing a boy how to blow bubbles
Morning in the Lisu village.
Sunrise in the village
The boys were up early
Boys playing in our hut
Giving them some snacks
The trek was, with out a doubt, our favorite part of the trip. We researched different trekking agencies in Pai and feel very fortunate to have chosen Duang Trekking. We went with an Italian couple, Monica and Marcello, who were near the end of their seven month trip around Asia. The four of us got along great and all appreciated the unique experience we shared. Our guides were Prasert and his brother Ghe who were both from the Karen Tribe.
Day One - After an afternoon of hiking, we arrived at the Lisu Village. The villagers in this region consist of Burmese refugees. The Burma border was about 10-20 miles away. Our hosts immediately started cooking dinner for us and it was delicious. That night, we had a great time drinking homemade rice whisky around a fire. The whiskey didn't affect us that much, but it inspired Prasert to tell some entertaining stories. The accommodations in the villages were minimal. We slept on bamboo floors, an outhouse was the only restroom, no hot water, and had just enough electricity for a light. The roosters woke us way too early but we did our best to ignore them.
Day two was a day that none of us will ever forget. A couple hours into our hike we ran into a hunter carrying an old fashioned rifle. He had lost his way back to his village. Prasert and Ghe knew him. The three of them helped prepare our lunch. They built a fire and started chopping bamboo and vegetables. They created bamboo "pots" which were filled with water and set on the fire to boil. The hunter cooked himself a bird he had shot earlier. Soon after, we were eating our homemade lunch with dishes, chopsticks, spoons, and cups all made from bamboo. It was delicious and we felt honored at the efforts they went through to feed us. The hunter had a side of monkey meat and he offered us some. We all declined, except for Roger, who was feeling adventurous and tried a piece. By the time lunch was over, the hunter was wasted from rice whiskey. He had to be helped up the hill and directed back to his village. Before we parted ways, he asked Roger to take a picture of him (see photo on page 3).
Later that afternoon we arrived at the Karen Village, where Prasert and Ghe were from. Soon after our arrival, women literally came running to our hut to display woven items they had made. An entire market appeared right in front of our eyes. We all bought a few items and the women left as quickly as they had arrived. There was no running water so we bathed in the river. After another amazing dinner, all of us went to Ghe's house and drank rice whiskey. Next, Prasert introduced us to a group of locals who were gathered around a fire. We had fun drinking and practicing our very limited Thai language with them.
By this time, we had grown very attached to Prasert, so it felt extra special to meet his friends and family. The other villagers seemed to look up to him. He was the only Karen person to have a job outside of the village. Because of his job with the trekking agency, he stays a couple nights a week in Pai. It is two very different worlds that he lives in. He speaks three languages - Karen, Thai, and English. He is teaching his brother, Ghe, English so that he too can be more involved in the trekking operation and have the opportunity to work in Pai. Although the village is a very important part of his life, he encourages the young people to leave and go to college and find work.
We began our third and final day with a 1-hour elephant ride. We didn't enjoy it as much as we thought we would. Having an elephant haul us and all of our belongings around ended up feeling more cruel and over indulgent than we had anticipated. Afterwards, we went on a bamboo rafting trip which was a lot of fun and a relaxing way to enjoy the scenery. The final stage of the trek was a tour of Tham Lod cave. We floated in on a bamboo raft and got off deep inside the cave. Our guide showed us some impressive formations. That was the end of our trek and we were driven back to Pai. We went out with Monica and Marcello to an Italian restaurant that they recommended for dinner. This was our first non-Thai dinner. We were skeptical of Italian food in Thailand, but the restaurant was owned by an Italian expat, and our meals were authentic and better than we thought possible!